THE
PRINCE BY NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI
“The Prince” is a 16th-century
political treatise. It is one of the most famous books on political science which
enabled its author Niccolo Machiavelli to
be known as the “father of modern political science.”
Niccolo Machiavelli was an Italian
diplomat, philosopher, and political theorist . He was born on 3 May 1469 at
Florence in Italy and died there on 21 June 1527.
According to some critical comments The Prince advises leaders that is
better to be feared than loved if they cannot be both. It also tells them to
abandon medieval idealism and act in a new way which is currently known as the
Machaiavellian way comprising deceptive, pragmatic, or cynical politics. In
this modern way, the end justifies the
means. It is a pragmatic way preferring ruthless decisions to moral ones.
Given below are some short extracts from
the book mentioned above.
·
A
prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his
study, than war and its rules and discipline; for this is the sole art that
belongs to him who rules, and it is of such force that it not only upholds
those who are born princes, but it often enables men to rise from private
station to that rank.
·
A
wise prince should never in peaceful times stand idle, but increase his
resources with industry in such a way that they may be available to him in
adversity, so that if fortune changes, it may find him prepared to resist the
bows.
·
It
is necessary to be a fox to discover the snares and a lion to terrify the
wolves. Those who rely simply on the lion do not understand what they are
about.
·
He
wo seeks to deceive will always find some one who will allow himself to be
deceived.
·
And
you have to understand this, that a prince, especially a new one, cannot
observe all those things for which men are esteemed, being often forced, in
order to maintain the state, to act contrary to fidelity, friendship,
humanity and religion.
·
For
this reason a prince ought to take care that he never lets anything slip from
his lips that is not replete with the above-named five qualities, that he may
appear to him who sees and hears him altogether merciful, faithful, humane,
upright and religious.
·
Finally,
everyone sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are, and those
few dare not oppose themselves to the opinion of the many; who have the majesty
of the state to defend them; and in the actions of all men, and especially of
princes, which it is not prudent to challenge, one judges by the result.
******
G. R. Kanwal
27 April 2026
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